The Art Department’s 2010 Student Show opened with an award ceremony April 16 at the Atkinson Gallery.

More than 30 people waited in line ten minutes before the door was open at 5 p.m. Eight students won scholarships and 81 student art pieces were accepted and shown in the Atkinson Gallery.

Some were chatting about the pieces shown in the show, and others were trying to see what the gallery looked like through the glass window facing the hallway.

Once the doors opened, the first thing that caught visitors’ attention was a dress titled “Period Piece” shown in front of the door. It was all red, and it was also the only cloth made by a student, Lyndsey Harrington.

Several people said, “Oh my God!” when they found out the dress was made with sanitary napkins.

On the first day of exhibition, people kept coming into the show, from the opening moments all the way until the end. The visitors left the gallery with a big smile, celebrating the students who won awards.

Several local pictures, which also grabbed the audience’s eyes, were shown in the show. A painting of a beach depicted Santa Barbara’s beautiful beaches.

Designs of American one-dollar bills were also shown. Many people said they did not recognize that they were bills because they were colorful and creative, but they were saying the designs were well done.

“It’s a really good show,” said Brandy Harrison, an intern at the gallery. “It ended up going well together even though they are different pieces.”

She said that this is a huge deal for students. It encourages them to do more work because it is the first time most of the students have their work shown in a gallery.

Silvia Corral, an art major, had a painting shown in the show for the first time and won an award.

“I really love it,” she said. “I love everything.”

She said it is really important for students to get their work accepted in the show. Students whose work gets accepted for the show get a chance to win an award and a scholarship. The largest scholarship is for $5,000.